Witnesses

An interesting juxtaposition today.


The Irish Constitution lays considerable stress on The Family, and on Marriage.  Whilst now allowing marriage between same sex couples, they somehow seem to have decided not to recognise Civil Partnerships made in other countries.  So when we moved here, ArcLight had warned us, and we found her warning to be true, that our CP wasn’t recognised.  Our relationship was regarded no more formally than if we were simply “living together”.  


For a number of reasons, including recognition of our coupleness for tax reasons, we were advised by several people that we needed to get married.
 
Today, we had a very low key marriage (even more low key than our partnering) – including importing a couple of nurses as witnesses from the community hospital (in whose premises is found the Registrar’s office).
 
Also today, W (as an Irish citizen now resident in Ireland) was able to vote in a referendum on some proposed changes to the Irish Constitution.  These changes may, in the fullness of time, mean that our relationship could have been recognised more readily without today’s "ceremony".
 
The changes being voted on were:


A.  (a)   To delete the following section from Article 41 of the Constitution:


“2.  1° In particular, the State recognises that by her life within the home, a woman gives the State a support without which the common good cannot be achieved.
       2° The State shall, therefore, endeavour to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home.

and

(b) to insert the following Article after Article 42A of the Constitution:



“CARE
Article 42B

The State recognises that the provision of care, by members of a family to one another by reason of the bonds that exist among them, gives to Society a support without which the common good cannot be achieved, and shall strive to support such provision”

B.  (a)  To amend subsection 1° of Article 41.1 of the Constitution by the insertion of “ ,whether founded on marriage or on other durable relationships, “ after “the Family”, so that the subsection would provide as follows:
 
“1° The State recognises the Family, whether founded on marriage or on other durable relationships, as the natural primary and fundamental unit group of Society, and as a moral institution possessing inalienable and impresciptible rights, antecedent and superior to all positive law”
 
and
 
(b)     To delete the following subsection from Article 41.3 of the Constitution:
 
“1° The State pledges itself to guard with special care the institution of Marriage, on which the Family is founded, and to protect it against attack
 
And to substitute that subsection with the following:
 
“1° The State pledges itself to guard with special care the iinstitution of Marriage and to protect it against attack”

We heartily approve of both changes, though I couldn't vote today, as I'm not (yet) an Irish citizen.